THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CIVIL AIR PATROL

IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

PREFACE

1. In 2008 the author made an application to the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust (WCMT) to
gain financial support to travel in the USA and ‘spend time’ with the United States Air Force
Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol (CAP). A subsequent interview at the offices of the WCMT in London
resulted in the award of a Travelling Fellowship to spend 4 weeks ‘travelling’ in the USA. This
Fellowship took place between 20 September and 20 October 2009. After spending one week in
Washington DC the author travelled to Florida, Texas and Colorado before completing the
Fellowship at the national headquarters of the CAP at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama.

INTRODUCTION

2. The Sky Watch Community Air Service, later re-titled the Sky Watch Civil Air Patrol (1) was
formed in Yorkshire in 2000 by a group of private pilots who were saddened by the report of two
young girls, Kymberley Allcock and Sophie George, who were killed whilst playing near a railway
line in Wales. The question they asked themselves was; ‘What would we do if we saw a dangerous
event in progress on the ground below the aircraft when engaged in recreational flying?’ The
Founder of Sky Watch, Arnold Parker carried this idea forward and promoted the idea of a
community air service in Yorkshire. Aviation has no boundaries, the sky covers the land and the
sea, and the concept of using private aircraft to keep observations for people in danger and property
under threat quickly spread to other parts of the UK. A simple news letter kept the members in
touch and units were formed from Scotland in the north to Sussex in the south. It was inevitable
that this embryo organization would attract former military pilots who wished to respond to a new
challenge and an operations manual was published. By now, Sky Watch also had its own website
and an approach from the US Civil Air Patrol resulted in an exchange of correspondence and ideas.
The Americans were generous in their support and it became obvious that the new Civil Air Patrol
in the UK could learn a great deal from their ‘cousins’ who had formed a civil air patrol in 1941.
Common sense suggested that the British could learn from the experience of the Americans and, at
the same time, avoid repeating similar mistakes during the early years of development.. By now
the UK Civil Air Patrol was a registered charity in England and Wales. It later became a registered
charity in Scotland. It is governed by a Chairman and a Board of Trustees. By 2010 it was time for
the UK organization to move forward.

ORGANIZATION

3. In 2009 the Sky Watch Civil Air Patrol had some 300 members with around 250 aircraft. The
majority of aircraft are small, two seat with a single piston engine in the very light aircraft (VLA)
category. However, there are a small number of light helicopters, some weight-shift microlights
and, at this time, 9 autogyros. It is believed that Sky Watch has the largest autogyro fleet in

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Europe. Due to the wide range of experience among the pilots, from the newly qualified with a
private pilots licence (PPL), or a national private pilots licence (NPPL) to those with a great deal of
flying experience gained during a military or commercial career, it was agreed, at the beginning of
2009 that all Sky Watch flying must be supervised. Therefore, the Trustees recommended that all
members must belong to a unit with a unit chief pilot in charge. After taking into account the
flying experience of unit chief pilots and the individual members it was also agreed that a unit with
members with limited flying experience would be designated as a patrol unit and those with greater
experience, with a unit chief pilot and a core of members having in excess of 250 flying hours,
would be responder units with their details listed on the data base of the Royal Air Force
Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre (RAF ARCC) at RAF Kinloss in Scotland. At the
beginning of 2009 there were 9 patrol units and 10 responder units. By the end of the year this had
changed to 8 responder units and 7 patrol units; two new units were formed, 5 units disbanded and
one was suspended for failing to comply with the recommended unit structure with a unit chief pilot
in command.

4. The patrol units were not expected, nor encouraged to do anything other than to report in
incidents that are observed during recreational flying. By comparison, the responder units were
encouraged to develop contacts with the emergency services, the local government civil
contingencies units and those other organizations within the voluntary sector, for example the
Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and the mountain and lowland rescue teams;
organizations that would benefit from the availability of an ‘eye in the sky’ during search
operations. During the course of the year those units with better organization developed standard
operating procedures (SOPs), together with crew call-out lists and entered into memorandums of
understanding with their local police and others. These responder units may be expected to respond
to requests for search missions for missing persons and to complete air to ground photography to
record such things as flooding and serious pollution when other, regular military and police aircraft
are unavailable. Response times may vary from unit to unit depending on pilot availability.

THE UNITED STATES CIVIL AIR PATROL

5. The US Civil Air Patrol (CAP) was formed in 1941 as a response to the war with Germany.
Civilian aircraft and their pilots were recruited to keep observations for German submarines that
were attacking shipping on the eastern seaboard of the USA. During this period the CAP are
credited with locating 173 enemy submarines, attacking 57 and sinking 2. In addition, CAP is
credited with providing assistance to 91 ships in distress and helping to rescue 363 survivors. In
1948 the US Air Force was formed and CAP became an auxiliary of the USAF. Nevertheless, CAP
is still a volunteer civilian organization incorporated by Congress in 1946 under Public Law 476 as
a private non-profit making organization.

6. Today, CAP is a Congress funded community service organization. The fleet of privately
owned aircraft has now largely been replaced by a fleet of ‘corporate’ aircraft that includes the
Cessna 172, Cessna 182, Cessna 206, the Maule, the DHC Beaver and the Gippsland GA8 Airvan.
There are also some gliders used by the air cadet element. The CAP has 59,000 members of which
26,000 are air cadets; the UK has over 40,000 air cadets! Each of the states of the USA, together
with Washington DC and Puerto Rica has a CAP Wing. Then there are 8 regions which share the

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same boundaries as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Although the bulk of
the membership are volunteers with a volunteer head, Major General Amy Courter there is a
permanent, salaried staff of around 150 with an Executive Director, Don Rowland at the head and a
Missions Director, John Salvador in charge of operations. The bulk of the permanent staff are
based at the national headquarters at Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama. Maxwell
AFB is also the location for the CAP national operations centre (NOC). At the front line there are
three distinct divisions, emergency services, cadet programmes and aerospace education.
Altogether there are 8 regions, 52 wings and 1,600 units.

7. That element which is of greatest interest to the UK Civil Air Patrol is the emergency services
which includes senior squadrons with attached aircraft and composite squadrons which include both
senior members and air cadets. However, as the air cadets in the UK are funded by the Ministry of
Defence and administered by the RAF they can be discounted when making comparisons between
the two organizations. The units with aircraft, the emergency service squadrons are responsible for:

Airborne reconnaissance of border and coastal areas including critical infrastructure.

Damage assessment and recovery support for disaster areas.

Aerial transport of equipment and personnel including blood, tissue and organs.

Communications support including ‘hi-bird’ radio relay.

Overland search and rescue (SAR) on behalf of the USAF.

The US CAP flies 90% of all the USAF SAR missions and 80% of all missions flown by the 1 st Air
Force over continental USA. The USAF ARCC is co-located within the Operations Centre of the
1st Air Force at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida.

8. Apart from the special search equipment, Airborne Real-time Hyperspectral Enhanced
Reconnaissance (ARCHER) carried in the 16 x GA8 Airvans the main item of role equipment is a
Nikon camera with an attachment that allows the GPS position of the aircraft to be added to each
digital image. Some aircraft are also fitted with the Satellite-transmitted Digital Imaging System
(SDIS) which allows images to be transmitted from the aircraft to the ground. However, the most
powerful sensor remains the trained observer looking out of the windows of the aircraft. The cost
of running individual aircraft varies between US$120 – US$160 with an average of US$130 per
flying hour. Air Force assigned missions are covered by Congressional funding. Those missions
requested by state or local authorities are charged at the rate applicable to individual aircraft types
against a scale that includes maintenance and the cost of fuel. The aircraft crew are unpaid
volunteers. Amendments to the rules of the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), the equivalent of
the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) permit pilots with a private pilot licence, a non-
commercial licence, to fly missions which attract reimbursement of the actual operating costs of the
aircraft.

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9. In addition to those squadrons that fly aircraft, the air cadet squadrons and the aerospace
education programme the CAP has a very comprehensive radio communications system that covers
the continental USA. This includes a nationwide radio communications system of over 23,000
CAP owned base, mobile and portable two-way radios. A national and regional HF radio network
provides survivable, infrastructure-independent command and control communications that is
independent of satellite and cellular telephone systems. Over 500 VHF-FM radio repeater stations
are located strategically throughout the country. This comprehensive radio network is in addition
to the aircraft VHF airband radios, the 1,600 airborne, mobile and hand-held direction finding units
that are used pinpoint emergency locator transmitters, and the SDIS and ARCHER systems.

10. Comprehensive training is another distinct feature of the CAP in the USA. Members are
offered a range of instructional courses that cover a multitude of subjects from public affairs to
inland search and rescue. Some courses are residential at the USAF staff colleges and others are
on-line via a distance learning programme that extends from the national HQ at Montgomery to the
furthest outposts in Alaska and Hawaii. Pilots who wish to fly with CAP, around 10% of the total
membership, must have a private pilot licence and 200 flying hours to join. By means of an in-
house training programme they are then rated as a transport pilot, a cadet orientation pilot (air
experience flights) or a mission pilot. Mission pilots may fly search and rescue and other missions,
those with a mission number, on behalf of the USAF. Mission pilots are encouraged to use the
CAP aircraft to gain a commercial licence and an instrument rating. Those pilots who have a FAA
instructor rating may volunteer to become pilot instructors and check pilots

OTHER US AGENCIES WITH LIGHT AIRCRAFT

11. Another large organization in the USA that attracts Congressional funding and, at the same
time, has a fleet of aircraft in private ownership, is the US Coast Guard. The US Coast Guard, now
part of the Department of Homeland Security has 38,000 regular members and 30,000 auxiliary
(volunteer) members. Its ‘fleet’ includes ocean going vessels, offshore lifeboats and aircraft such
as the large 4-engine C130 Hercules, the HH-65B Dauphin helicopter and the HH-60 Jayhawk
helicopter. These very capable aircraft are used for search and rescue operations. The aircraft are
fitted with high tech search equipment which includes radar, powerful cameras, thermal imagers
and winches. Nevertheless, the auxiliary element of the US Coast Guard has a fleet of 220 aircraft
in private ownership which are flown by their owner/operators who are reimbursed for the
operating costs of their aircraft. Like the US Civil Air Patrol there is a list of charges for each type
of aircraft to cover maintenance and fuel. Typical aircraft include the Cessna 172 and Cessna 182
and the standard role equipment includes a pair of binoculars and a digital camera. Again, the
value of an observer looking out of the aircraft windows should not be underrated.

12. The US Coast Guard 7th District, which includes the states of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida,
Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, has an Auxiliary Air Wing with 56 aircraft. To join the Air
Wing a pilot, with a private pilots licence must have no less than 250 flying hours, a FAA medical
certificate and must pass the USCG fitness test. The latter test includes a swim of 25 yards wearing
an un-inflated lifejacket followed by a climb into an inflated liferaft. Once the new pilot has
accumulated 500 flying hours he, or she may become a pilot in command.

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13. Whilst in Washington DC the author was invited to a meeting with a senior member of the US
Department of Justice who manages an aviation programme that provides some of the smaller law
enforcement agencies with very light aircraft (VLA). This programme is run in conjunction with
the Sheriff’s Association of Texas, an organization with its own technology department which is, in
many respects very similar to the UK Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). These aircraft
include types such as the ICP Savannah, the Tecnam Eaglet and the Sky Arrow, all these aircraft
are built in Europe and are the same or similar to the aircraft flown by the UK Civil Air Patrol.
These aircraft have two seats and one engine, typically the Rotax or the Jabiru. The operating crew,
pilot and observer, carry a pair of binoculars and a digital camera. The main roles are searches for
missing persons and the identification of farms growing illegal crops such as cannabis. One of the
smaller law enforcement agencies, Dorchester County in the state of Maryland expects to fly its
Savannah VLA for around 200 hours per year at a direct operating cost (fuel and maintenance) of
US$40 per hour. Two of the police officers have been taught to fly their aircraft which is on loan
from the Department of Justice – use it, or lose it! However, a major concern must be the relative
inexperience of the newly qualified pilots and, in this respect the recruitment criteria is very
different from the requirement by the US Civil Air Patrol and the US Coast Guard. The latter are
both quasi-military organizations with many years of aviation experience, including the recruitment
of volunteer pilots.

THE CIVIL AIR SEARCH AND RESCUE ASSOCIATION

14. The Canadian Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA) provides us with a further
model of civilian aircraft in private ownership being used for search and rescue missions in support
of provincial governments of Canada and the Canadian Air Force (CAF). The author was
privileged to meet Major Gordon Lemon CAF who is serving on an exchange tour with the USAF
at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. As well as being a member of the CAF, Major Lemon is also
the owner of a Cessna O-2 Skymaster and a member of CASARA.

15. Canadian CASARA can trace its origins to Ontario in the late the 1970’s when members of a
local flying club used a Cessna 172 with air cadets as observers to search for a missing boat on
Lake Erie. The overturned 16 foot boat was found and one of the three crew members was saved.
Later the same year the same people joined 70 other volunteers to search for 20 hours for a missing
aircraft. Once again they used their own aircraft and funded the search themselves. After a series
of meetings at the local CAF base at Trenton, the home of No 424 Squadron, a SAR unit, the first
Civil Air Rescue Emergency Service (CARES) unit was formed in Ontario. Validation by the air
force highlighted the requirement to introduce training, administration, standards, communications,
research and development, and flight safety. After 2 years CARES had developed a clear sense of
purpose and benefactors were more than pleased to make donations for services rendered.

16. Within 5 years CARES, with groups throughout the Province of Ontario, had changed its name
to the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association of Ontario. CASARA was now regarded as a SAR
asset by the CAF. Moreover, the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre (JRCC) agreed to reimburse
CASARA members for the cost of fuel and overnight accommodation when engaged in a JRCC
task with a JRCC tasking number (equivalent of a USAF mission number). Later, the Inter-
departmental Committee for Search and Rescue (ICSAR) agreed to make CASARA a Canada wide

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programme funded by the Canadian Government. There are now CASARA groups in every
Province and Territory of Canada; private aircraft flown by their owner/operators and funded by the
government when engaged in a mission with a JRCC task number.

OTHER MODELS

17. Although North America provides a number of models where light aircraft, many in private
ownership, are used to provide a community air service there are other models, closer to home that
may be used as examples of the many advantages of the volunteer supporting the full time
responder.

18. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) was formed in 1824 and now provides a
comprehensive lifeboat service that covers the whole of the UK coastline together with all of
Ireland and the Channel Islands. The ‘Institution fleet includes both offshore and inshore lifeboats
and a new initiative provides lifeguards on selected beaches. There are also lifeboats on some of
the larger inland waterways such as the River Thames. The RNLI has a small full-time salaried
staff and a training college at its HQ in Poole, Dorset and a cadre of full time divisional inspectors
and coxswain/mechanics. Nevertheless, the bulk of the RNLI members are volunteers who man the
lifeboats and support a comprehensive, national fund raising organization. In general the RNLI, a
registered charity is paid for by donations from the public without any contribution from the
government. Members of the public are encouraged to join as supporters and pay an annual
subscription. This entitles the supporter to wear RNLI branded clothing and, for sea-going
members to fly an RNLI pennant on their vessels. Also, local councils make a contribution towards
the cost of full-time lifeguards on beaches and the government pays for the deployment of the
RNLI’s Flood Rescue Team to overseas disaster areas. The RNLI may be regarded to be one of the
best examples, worldwide of a volunteer organization supporting and, in the case of the UK,
providing an alternative to a costly full-time, government funded, sea rescue service.

19. Another, good example of the voluntary sector providing a much valued emergency service are
the UK’s mountain and lowland rescue teams. Mountain rescue in the UK came to the fore when
the Royal Air Force formed mountain rescue teams to rescue those aircrew who had been forced to
crash-land, or to abandon their aircraft in remote areas of the UK during WW2. Today there are
still a small number of RAF mountain rescue teams and in Scotland there are some police mountain
rescue teams. However, the bulk of mountain and lowland rescue is provided by unpaid volunteers
who, for the most part provide their own specialist equipment. In Scotland the government makes a
contribution to the running costs of the teams but this is not the case in England and Wales. In
England and Wales the individual teams are represented at government level by the Mountain
Rescue Council of England and Wales with additional, regional councils. In Scotland, the
Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland is the executive. The lowland rescue teams are
represented nationally by the Association of Lowland Search & Rescue (ALSAR).

20. Although these teams are well equipped to face the hazardous conditions that may prevail in
remote areas there is another, unseen battle to raise the funds required to cover fixed costs such as
buildings, motor vehicles and insurance for members. Some police forces make a small financial
contribution (overland search and rescue for civilians in the UK is the responsibility of the police)

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but the bulk of costs are met by local fund raising efforts and the occasional grant from the national
lottery. It has been estimated that the running cost of a mountain rescue team in England and
Wales, without any investment in new equipment, is in the order of £25,000 per annum. Some
teams have now developed computer programmes that may be used to ascertain their full operating
costs which includes the contributions made by the individual members for transport to training
events and the replacement of worn out or damaged equipment.

21. Formed in 1980, the Channel Islands Airsearch (CIAS) in a unique search and limited rescue
organization funded by charitable donations – the Lifeboats’ eyes in the sky. CIAS provides a
rapid response air search capability in the 4,000 square miles of water surrounding the British
Channel Islands and along the French coast; the unit receives 30-40 calls each year. The aircraft, a
BN Islander funded largely by the Lions Clubs of Guernsey and Jersey is role equipped with a
marine radar, an electro-optical turret with camera and thermal imager, air and marine band VHF
radios and a range of air droppable survival equipment. The running costs, not including capital
equipment is around £75,000 per annum. Funding is raised almost exclusively within the Channel
Islands by the Friends of Channel Islands Airsearch, coming from a wide range of sources,
including collection boxes, social events, flag days, bequests and donations. The crew
establishment is 26 with 7 pilots, each with a minimum of 2,000 flying hours, 7 search
directors/navigators and 12 observers. This equates to 5.2 crews. There is a full time aircraft
engineer; all other crew members are volunteers who serve without reimbursement.

22. Although there are many other good examples of voluntary service in the UK, British Red
Cross (BRC), WRVS, St John Ambulance Brigade, Salvation Army etc., one of the less well
known is the contribution made by former front-line military pilots to the Air Training Corps and
the Combined Cadet Force. Throughout the UK there are 12 University Air Squadrons equipped
with the Grob 115E Tutor a small, two-seat elementary training aircraft. The same aircraft is used
by the 3 RAF squadrons which have responsibility for RAF elementary flying training. A small
number of Grob 115’s are also flown by the Royal Navy and the British Army.

23. Each of the RAF University Air Squadrons has attached to it an air experience flight which
gives every air cadet an opportunity to gain a practical understanding of aviation by participating in
an annual air experience flight. On these occasions the Tutor aircraft are flown by the former front-
line pilots, now members of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (Training) (RAFVR(T)).
These volunteers receive a small meal allowance and are reimbursed for motor mileage. In many
ways this is similar to the scheme for the air orientation flights that are provided for cadet members
of the US Civil Air Patrol. Those pilots with an instructor qualification may also fly instructional
sorties with student members of the university air squadrons.

24. The fleet of over 100 Grob Tutors are owned and maintained under a Ministry of Defence
contract by the aerospace company VT Aerospace. The military are charged for the number of
hours they fly. In former years, at the height of the ‘cold war’ the university air squadrons had
what is termed a ‘war role’. In the event of a conflict the RAF pilots would become members of
‘regional air squadrons’ that would carry police officers on air reconnaissance flights. These flights
were used to determine the extent of damage following bombing strikes by enemy aircraft. Today,
the RAF’s elementary training aircraft may be used for search and rescue missions although this
capability is rarely, if ever used.

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 WHERE THE UK CIVIL AIR PATROL IS NOW

25. After 10 years it is generally agreed that the Civil Air Patrol in the UK has reached the point
where it must move forward with new ideas and a new structure. One of the very early initiatives
was to increase the membership and, inter alia the size of the fleet of aircraft. The minimum
qualification for pilot membership of the Sky Watch Civil Air Patrol is a UK PPL, or an NPPL with
a VHF radio licence, the same qualifications as those required by the US Civil Air Patrol and the
US Coast Guard (Auxiliary). Aircraft types may include very light aircraft (VLA), weight-shift
microlights, helicopters and autogyros’. However, a line has been drawn at gliders, hot air balloons
and powered parachutes; the latter now fall into the unregulated class of aircraft within the UK.

26. After studying the various models of voluntary organizations in both North America and the
UK the Civil Air Patrol in the UK will, starting in 2010 and subject to the approval of the Trustees,
have two classes of membership. Full members, those who belong to the executive or are members
of operational units, and supporters who wish become associate members and make a contribution
to the running costs of the organization. This membership structure is a close copy of the
membership of the RNLI. Each responder unit will have a unit chief pilot who has been approved
by the Trustees and he, or she will be responsible to the Trustees for the running of their unit in
accordance with the recommendations contained in the Operations Manual and other publications.
In addition, each unit will be expected to publish a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and
to maintain an up to date crew list which shows contact details and details of the flying experience
of individual members. All operational missions will be flown by pilots who have the approval of
their unit chief pilot. Those pilots with less flying experience may agree to fly as observers with
the more experienced pilots, to develop their flying skills. If these pilots are flying their own
aircraft which has dual flying controls they may invite a more experienced colleague, who is
qualified on type, to join them as the mission commander. Again, these arrangements must be
approved by the unit chief pilot.

27. To provide an element of ‘standardisation’ the UK would be divided into 4 regions; Scotland,
England (North), England (South) and Wales. Each region will have its own regional liaison
officer (RLO) who will make periodic visits to the units on his ‘patch’. It must be emphasised that
primary purpose of these visits will be to help units to achieve and to maintain an agreed set of
minimum operating standards and to circulate ‘good ideas’ between units. Each unit will be
encouraged to establish contacts within the emergency services, the police, HM Coastguard, the
RNLI etc, as well as becoming an active member of the local resilience forum (LRF). The LRF is a
requirement of every local government council as detailed in the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.
Other potential ‘customers’ for an air observation service are the Environment Agency and the
Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) who may wish to obtain air to ground imagery of
extensive flooding and serious pollution. The value of air to ground imagery was highlighted by
Sir Michael Pitt in his report following the serious flooding in the UK in 2007. Some of the current
8 responder units, 2 in Scotland and 6 in England already have memorandums of understanding
(MOU’s) with their local police forces and mature plans to co-operate with local government
departments in the event of a regional or a national emergency. For example, in Scotland the 2 Sky
Watch units, both responders have MOU’s with 4 of the 8 Scottish police forces.

28. Flight training, using the search patterns described in the Operations Manual, for example, can
be a particular challenge for some units with pilots who have limited search experience, particularly
those with a background in commercial flying. Until the Civil Air Patrol in the UK has gained

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sufficient operational experience, this could take several years, the organization must rely on the
recruitment of former military pilots for a training input. These pilots bring to the organization
those skills that have been gained during their military flying career.

29. During 2009 the concept of Sky Watch aircraft operating from a forward operating base (FOB)
was trialled successfully when aircraft were deployed to the landing strip at Dornoch in Scotland
and to Cark airfield in the Lake District to support, first a BRC exercise and then a BRC operation.
On both occasions a member’s caravan was used as an operations post and support unit to provide
snacks and hot drinks. The same caravan now has a generator and a weather station to provide
wind speed, wind direction, and surface temperature. With sufficient warning the ‘operations post’
and aircraft may be deployed to a FOB during a national emergency, such as the very severe floods
of 2007, when other aircraft are not available in the area under threat.

30. Research and development (R&D) is, despite the ‘amateur’ status of the UK Civil Air Patrol an
area of excellence. One unit is developing the capability to provides the emergency services with
high quality vertical photographs that may be ‘stitched’ together to produce very accurate plans for
search operations. Another unit has just about ‘cracked’ the procedure for transmitting digital
imagery from the aircraft to the ground in near real time using a WiFi SD card in the camera and a
transmitter in the aircraft. Two units, both in Scotland are carrying out flight trials with a thermal
imager with the aircraft flying below 2,000 feet minimum separation distance (msd). To date, the
results of all of these trials have been very encouraging. It is anticipated that in the near future all
Sky Watch units will have the ability to record the flight path of their aircraft during a search
operation and forward this electronically to the search manager of the ‘customer’ requesting the
service.

31. Fund raising is another area which must be developed if the organization is to move forward.
In this respect it is possible to become a victim of ones own success. For example, a Sky Watch
pilot, or a unit does a particularly good job by finding a missing person or providing air to ground
imagery of local flooding. Later, the same week they get a further request for air support, they then
get a third request a few days later. How many times may the individual be expected to respond
before they run out of money for fuel and aircraft maintenance? In this respect the Sky Watch unit
may engage in local fund raising and some units have made a successful application for a grant
from the national lottery to purchase safety equipment, thermal imagers etc, and to pay for flying
hours. Also, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) who, together with the European Aviation Safety
Agency (EASA) regulate civil aviation in the UK have agreed that although the Civil Air Patrol
may not fly for ‘hire or reward’ it may, as a registered charity accept charitable donations from
grateful benefactors. As a national organization the next step would be to investigate the possibility
of national fund raising, following the example of the RNLI who use charitable donations to fund
their multi-million pound organization.

32. However, the goal, the way forward may be to follow the example of the US Civil Air Patrol,
the US Coast Guard and CASARA in Canada and gain the support of the CAA to claim
reimbursement for aircraft operating costs, fuel and an element of maintenance, when a search
mission is flown on behalf of the UK Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre (UK ARCC), with
a mission number, or a request is received from other agencies such as the local government LRF.
This reimbursement would cover the direct operating cost of the aircraft; the pilot, with a ‘private’
licence, would not receive any financial reward. This arrangement would support those agencies

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that require air observation and air to ground imagery, in the absence of other aircraft, military or
police, with a very cost effective emergency air service. If we use the US Civil Air Patrol as an
example the average charge for a CAP aircraft is US$130 per flying hour. If the same mission was
flown by a military aircraft a C-130 Hercules would cost $6,800 per hour, a HH60 Blackhawk
$5,300 per hour and a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) $1,712 per hour. No wonder the
USAF are using CAP Cessna 182’s, fitted with a camera turret, for UAV training! Moreover, in the
UK the Home Office (ministry of interior) has a plan to reduce the number of police helicopters in
England and Wales from 33 to 26. There is only one police helicopter in the whole of Scotland.
Also, in 2012 military SAR, by the RN and RAF is scheduled to be contracted out to a commercial
operator. Whether this new arrangement will emulate the high standards of service set by the RN
and the RAF remains to be seen. The UK Civil Air Patrol may, in the future become a valued ‘gap
filler’.

MOVING FORWARD

33. Within the next 12 months we may expect to see a leaner but more effective Civil Air Patrol in
the UK. If the executive, the Trustees accept the recommendations below then there will be Sky
Watch units in many parts of the UK and Northern Ireland. If there is sufficient interest at the
‘grass roots’ level of general aviation there may be units in the Republic of Ireland also; the RNLI
has lifeboats located throughout Ireland. In order to remove any ambiguity every operational Sky
Watch unit will have a core of members, including the unit chief pilot, who have sufficient flying
experience to be authorised by the executive, the Trustees of the Charity to conduct search missions
and air to ground photography at low level, below 2,000 feet minimum separation distance during
daylight hours and in weather commensurate with visual flight rules (VFR). Any member of the
public who wishes to be associated with the Civil Air Patrol in the UK, including those pilots who
are not members of operational units, will be welcome to join the Civil Air Patrol as ‘patrol pilots’
or as associate members.

34. At some point soon, funding, the reimbursement for direct operating costs (DOC), fuel and
maintenance, when the aircraft in private ownership is used for public service, will have to be
resolved. The US Civil Air Patrol, the US Coast Guard Air Auxiliary and, in Canada CASARA all
provide examples of pilots with a PPL being reimbursed for the running costs of their aircraft when
the same aircraft are flown on public service missions. In the UK there are other examples of the
private pilot being permitted to take command of an aircraft that is being used for ‘hire or reward’
even though he, or she does not have a commercial pilots licence. Two examples are the sport
parachute centres and the gliding clubs that use powered aircraft to provide the gliders with an air-
tow. In both cases the owner of the parachute centre or the gliding club makes a charge for the use
of the powered aircraft which, on the majority of occasions is flown by a pilot with a PPL. The
pilot receives no remuneration for his involvement, although, on a good day the owner of the centre
may buy him a cup of coffee and a bacon sandwich! With the agreement of the CAA, the regulator
it may be possible to place civil air patrol missions in the same category as flights by parachute
aircraft and glider tugs with no monetary reward for the pilot, but reimbursement for the operating
costs of the aircraft.

35. In the longer term there are a number of possibilities:

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 The Status Quo. If the Trustees approve the recommended structure, operational units
together with supporters/associate members, and if reimbursement of aircraft direct operating
costs is approved by the CAA then it may be decided to continue as an independent civil air
patrol using Canadian CASARA and Channel Islands Airsearch as models.

The US Civil Air Patrol Model. An alternative to the status quo would be to follow the
example of the US Civil Air Patrol and to promote the idea of the Civil Air Patrol in the UK
becoming an auxiliary of the Royal Air Force. This could lead to Civil Air Patrol units forming
an association with the current university air squadrons. If it was thought to be necessary Sky
Watch members could become members of the RAFVR(T). This development would also
provide the university air squadrons with the equivalent of their former ‘war role’ with greater
involvement in search operations for missing persons together with aerial observation and air to
ground photography during environmental emergencies.

Support for the Police. In the UK the police have responsibility for searching for missing
persons although the volunteer mountain rescue and lowland rescue teams, together with
military SAR helicopters are often requested to assist. In the near future it is anticipated that the
number of police helicopters in England and Wales will, as the result of a new initiative by the
Home Office, be reduced from 33 to 26. There are no plans to increase the number of police
helicopters (one) in Scotland. If Sky Watch units were to form an association with police air
operations units they would add a new dimension to police aviation in the UK with more ‘tools
in the toolbox’. You don’t need a multi-million helicopter to take digital images of flooding
and a very light aircraft (VLA) may be used to monitor traffic congestion. The US Department
of Justice, in conjunction with the Sheriff’s Association of Texas, already understands the value
of the VLA. If it were thought to be necessary the Sky Watch pilots and observers could be
enrolled as special constables. This is not without precedent, in the 1930’s the former Reigate
Borough Police enrolled members of a local flying club as special constables and used their
aircraft for aerial patrols.

Joining Forces. At this time the Civil Air Patrol in the UK has a close association with the
British Red Cross (BRC) and, in particular the BRC response team based at Inverness in
Scotland. In 2009 Sky Watch aircraft were used to support the BRC response team during a
two-day training exercise at Dornoch, north of Inverness. Later in the year they provided air
support for a BRC team at a marathon sporting event on Loch Tay. Then, in September Sky
Watch supported the BRC at the Great North Swim on Windermere in the English Lake District
In 2010 exercises and operations with the BRC are expected to follow the same pattern with, in
addition attendance at the Tall Ships Race when it makes a port call at Hartlepool, 7-10 August.
It could be argued that the Civil Air Patrol in the UK would move forward more quickly if it
joined forces with the BRC and became part of a much larger, international organization. At
local level Sky Watch units may agree to join forces with their nearest mountain, or lowland
rescue team to form a composite unit; an MRT, or LRT with its own aircraft.

CONCLUSION

36. The Sky Watch Civil Air Patrol formed in Yorkshire in 2000 and, during the subsequent years
it has developed from a loose association of individual units, spread throughout the UK, to a more
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structured organization with an operations manual, a website and standard operating procedures for
local guidance. Sky Watch is also a registered charity in England and Wales, and Scotland and is
governed by a chairman and a board of Trustees. Those units with a unit chief pilot, approved by
the Trustees and a core of members with sufficient flying experience are encouraged to ‘engage’
with the emergency services and other volunteer groups such as the RNLI, mountain and lowland
rescue teams.

37. Towards the end of 2009 the chairman was awarded a Winston Churchill Travelling
Fellowship to travel in the USA and to learn from the experiences of other organizations, similar to
Sky Watch that use light aircraft, flown by volunteers to provide an air service to the community.
The organizations visited included the US Civil Air Patrol, The US Coast Guard and the Sheriff’s
Association of Texas. In addition, it was possible to interview a member of Canadian
CASARA. A serving officer in the Canadian Air Force who is on an exchange tour with the USAF
and a member of the US Civil Air Patrol during his period of service at Tyndall Air Force Base.

38. The US Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary of the USAF, together with the US Coast Guard
Auxiliary use civilian, volunteer pilots with a private pilots licence to fly search missions to locate
missing persons or, in the case of the US Coast Guard persons engaged in illegal activities such as
drug running in the Caribbean. In both cases relatively simple aircraft, such as the Cessna 182 are
used to conduct visual searches. Role equipment includes binoculars and a digital camera. In the
case of the US Civil Air Patrol (CAP) the camera is fitted with a GPS (satellite navigation receiver)
that records the position of each photograph as it’s taken.

39. The US Department of Justice, together with the Sheriff’s Association of Texas has a
programme to provide small law enforcement agencies with very light aircraft (VLA). These
aircraft, for example the ICP Savannah and the Tecnam Eaglet are the same, or similar to the
aircraft used by the Civil Air Patrol in the UK. Again, the emphasis is on the visual search with
binoculars and digital cameras which are used to record evidence of illegal activities.

40. In Canada, CASARA is an association of private pilots who use their own aircraft to assist the
Canadian Air Force (CAF) during search operations. When tasked by the Joint Rescue Co-
ordination Centre the CASARA members are reimbursed for the running expenses of their aircraft.
What started as a local initiative in Ontario in the late 1970’s has now spread throughout Canada
with CASARA aircraft and their crews listed as a SAR asset by the CAF.

41. Other models of volunteers supporting the emergency services include, in the UK, the RNLI,
the mountain and the lowland rescue teams, Channel Islands Airsearch (CIAS), the British Red
Cross (BRC), the WRVS the St John Ambulance Brigade and many others. The common thread is
that volunteers provide a wide range of skills that would otherwise be unaffordable. Nevertheless,
costs are incurred and these must be covered by private contributions and charitable donations
where the organization is a registered charity. However, aircraft operations, even with light aircraft
can become a costly burden for the private owner/operator. In the USA the Federal Aviation
Authority (FAA), the equivalent of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in the UK permits private
pilots who use their aircraft for community service to be reimbursed for the operating costs of the
aircraft.

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 42. In the UK the Sky Watch Civil Air Patrol has reached the point where a decision must be made
as to future development. On the one hand it could remain as a loose association of units of varying
experience and commitment. On the other hand the UK Civil Air Patrol could emulate those
organizations in North America with similar goals; the US Civil Air Patrol, the US Coast Guard
Auxiliary and CASARA in Canada. Other organizations that provide models for the development
of Sky Watch as a charitable public service organization are the RNLI, the UK’s mountain and
lowland rescue teams and Channel Islands Airsearch. In all cases the key ingredient is committed
volunteers who aspire to provide a professional service. There is no room for a casual approach.
There must be some form of structure, agreed operational standards and engagement with the
emergency services and those other groups in the voluntary sector who provide an emergency
service to the community.

43. In the longer term the UK Civil Air Patrol may decide to former closer links with the RAF, the
police or other voluntary groups such as the BRC, the mountain rescue teams and the lowland
rescue teams.

RECOMMENDATIONS

44. It is recommended that:

a. The Sky Watch Civil Air Patrol in the United Kingdom is re-structured with:

(1) Operational units commanded by unit chief pilots appointed by the Trustees.

(2) Patrol pilots, recreational pilots who do not belong to an operational unit.

(3) Supporters who are not members of operational units who may wish to join the
Sky Watch Civil Air Patrol as associate members.

b. The Operations Manual is amended to reflect all changes to the organization.

c. Regional liaison officers (RLOs) are appointed to improve standardisation. To encourage

engagement with the emergency services and to encourage liaison with those emergency
service organizations also in the voluntary sector.

d. Advances in technology are shared amongst units.

e. Priority is given to local and national fund raising.

f. Reimbursement of aircraft operating costs is recommended to the CAA.

James A Cowan MBE January 2010

Chairman
Sky Watch Civil Air Patrol Issue 2

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Note:
1. The Sky Watch Civil Air Patrol was originally named the Sky Watch Community Air Service
and then the Sky Watch Auxiliary Air Service before adopting the current title.

Annex: A. Response to Chairman’s Report.

Distribution:

Director General - Winston Churchill Memorial Trust.

Trustees – Sky Watch Civil Air Patrol.

END NOTE

This paper, which highlights the lessons learned during the course of a Winston Churchill Travelling
Fellowship, could not have been completed without the support and advice, freely given by many
people. The list below identifies many of these supporters although I am very conscious that when
writing a list of names some very worthy candidates may be missed out. If this is the case then I can
only apologise and promise that I will try harder in the future. Every person that I met during my
travels in the USA made an important contribution to what is, I believe a very worthy cause; using light
aircraft, flown by volunteer pilots to provide a community emergency air service.

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust

Major General Jamie Balfour CBE, and his colleagues at Queen’s Gate Terrace, London.
Julia Weston, the Fellowship Manager.

Referees’

Air Marshal Cliff Spink CB CBE FCMI FRAeS

Group Captain David Broughton MBE BA FRIN

US Civil Air Patrol

Major General Amy S Courter CAP

Don R Rowland, Executive Director
John Salvador, Missions Director
John Swain Peggy Myrick
Jim Mallet Garry Schneider
Gene Hartmen Dave Carter
Joseph Vaquez Eric Litt
Jim Thruxel Rogers Porter
George Schaefer Joe Smith
Guy Rasmussen Jack Pentland
David Taylor Justin McElvaney
John Carson Wiley Post
Eric Duron Ben Poffenberger

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Richard Dean James Williamson
Don Keech Trevor Dennis
Dennis Cima Brooks Cima
George Hoyt Dave Meddens
Paul Roberts Paul Nelson
Ed Phelka Norman Ginther
Bob Beabout Mike McDonald
Rafael Robles Sandie Gaines
Curt Lafond Julie Debardelaben
Steve Cox Christie Carr
Pete Kalisky Joe Hall
Joey Barton John Sanderson
Gerry Rosenweig Jeff Montgomery

US Air Force

Col Mark Weston

Lt Col Clifton Hicks
Lt Col Chris Sabo
Maj Chris Hamm
Maj Dave Kirby

US Coast Guard

Rick Button and his colleagues at US Coastguard HQ, Washington DC.

Lt Cdr Billy Enfinger, US Coast Guard 7th District.

US Department of Justice Office of Science & Technology

Michael K O’Shea

Sheriffs’ Association of Texas Border Research & Technology Center

Joe M Peters
Tod Depp
Charlie Brune

Maryland State Police Aviation Unit

Cole Brown
Norman Molter

Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission

Kevin Vislocky
John McDonald
Frank Utermohlen
Joe Johnson
Jaira McKeown

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Civil Air Search and Rescue Association

Maj Gordon Lemon CAF

Dorchester County Police

Capt Paul Hurley

Comal County Sheriff’s Office

Brian Morgan
George Wilhite

Airborne Law Enforcement Association

Dan Schwarzbach

Harris County Homeland Security & Emergency Management

Larry Mousseau
Lt Bill Sparks
Rosio Torres

Escambia County Office of Emergency Management

John Dosh

Heart of Virginia Aviation

Tommy Grimes
Dave Lubore
Ben Young

Chesapeake Sport Pilot

Tim Adelman

Mohawk Technologies

Paul Pefley and Mike Price

Paradise Aircraft

Paulo R Oliveira and Christopher Lee Regis

Sky Watch Civil Air Patrol

Special thanks are due to Ian Rutland, the Sky Watch webmaster, who edited my web log during the
period that I was travelling in the USA. This web log may be found on the Sky Watch website by
going to the Home page at www.skywatchcivilairpatrol.org.uk and clicking on the badge of the US
Civil Air Patrol.

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